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How Do I Get My Real FICO® Score?

Louis DeNicola
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Quick Answer

  • FICO creates many versions of the FICO® Score, and you can find your score for free from credit bureaus, card issuers, banks and credit counselors.
  • Although your scores will likely differ depending on the scoring model, the same actions can help increase all your FICO® Scores.
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There are several ways to check your FICO® Scores☉ Θ, including many free options. However, there are also many versions of the FICO® Score. They are all real, but the type of score you receive and the underlying credit report that the score is based on can vary depending on the source.

What Is a FICO® Score?

A FICO® Score is a general term for the credit scores that FICO develops and sells. FICO creates different types of credit scores and periodically releases new versions of its scores, but most of the scores analyze a credit report to assess the likelihood that someone might miss a bill payment in the future. Companies use credit scores, such as FICO® Scores, as an easy-to-understand way to assess risk, which is why your credit score can affect your loan limits, interest rates and security deposit requirements.

VantageScore® vs. FICO

VantageScore is another major credit scoring company that develops credit scoring models. Both companies offer multiple credit scores, such as the VantageScore 4.0, 4plus™ and 5.0 scores and the FICO® Score 8, FICO® Score 10T and FICO® Score 10 BNPL scores. Companies can generally decide which score, or scores, they'll use when checking your credit.

Learn more: Which Credit Scores Do Mortgage Lenders Use?

How to Get Your FICO® Score

There are several ways to get one or more of your FICO® Scores, including many free and paid options.

Free From Experian

If you sign up for a free account with Experian, you'll be able to see your FICO® Score 8 along with a copy of your Experian credit report. Unlike some services that only give you a score, you'll also be able to review the underlying information (the credit report) that led to the score. Experian also shows you which factors are hurting and helping your score the most.

Credit Card or Bank Statements

Checking with your bank or current credit card issuers is another option you may have. For example, American Express MyCredit Guide users can get a FICO® Score 8 based on their Experian credit report, and Citi cardholders might get a FICO Bankcard Score 8 based on their Equifax credit report. Bank of America offers eligible customers a FICO® Score 8 based on their Experian credit report.

The Official FICO Site

FICO offers a free FICO® Score 8 based on your Equifax credit report. It also sells scores on myFICO.com and authorizes "FICO® Score retailers." These companies may offer free or paid access to FICO® Scores to consumers, and sometimes include additional products or services with your score.

Nonprofit Credit Counselors

Nonprofit credit counseling agencies offer various services related to managing money, including budgeting, buying a home and getting out of credit card debt. You may be able to get a free consultation with a credit counselor who can, with your permission, check and explain your credit scores.

Learn more: How Do I Check My Credit Score?

Does Checking Your FICO® Score Lower It?

Checking your FICO® Score doesn't affect your credit score. You can check any of your FICO® Scores and VantageScore credit scores without worrying about hurting your credit. Checking your credit will result in a new soft inquiry appearing on your report, but these don't impact credit scores.

In contrast, if a company checks your credit before making a lending decision, that can result in a new hard inquiry, which might temporarily hurt your scores a small amount.

Read more: Does Checking My Credit Lower My Score?

How to Improve Your FICO® Score

The following actions can help improve your FICO® Score. The exact impact will depend on the scoring model and the entirety of your credit report. As a result, it's hard to predict exactly how much your score will increase, but following these tips might improve all your FICO® Scores over time.

  • Make loan and credit card payments on time. Your FICO® Scores consider your history of paying different types of accounts. Having a long history of making your payments on time could help your scores.
  • Lower your credit cards' utilization rate. The ratio between your cards' credit limits and balances can affect your credit scores. Only using a small portion of your credit card's credit limit can be best for your FICO® Scores.
  • Request credit limit increases. If you can't afford to pay down your credit card balances right away, increasing the credit limit on your cards can also lower your credit utilization ratio. However, asking for an increase could lead to a hard inquiry that hurts your credit even if your card issuer doesn't increase your credit limit.
  • Become an authorized user. If you have a close friend or family member who maintains a credit card with low utilization and on-time payments, becoming an authorized user on that account might help your scores as well.

There may be other opportunities to improve your FICO® Score depending on what's impacting your score right now, but these core actions can typically help scores across the board.

Learn more: Tips to Improve Credit

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Do I Have Different FICO® Scores?

FICO creates different versions of its FICO® Scores for each of the major credit bureaus: Experian, TransUnion and Equifax. It also regularly releases new versions of the FICO® Score and offers industry-specific versions for auto lenders and card issuers. As a result, most people have different FICO® Scores depending on the underlying report and the scoring model.

What's the Most Accurate Credit Score?

Many credit scores rank-order consumers, meaning a person with a higher score is statistically less likely to miss a bill payment in the future. Credit scoring companies release new scoring models that are often increasingly precise with these rankings, sometimes because the new score considers recent changes in consumer behavior or has access to additional data. However, even older scores are still largely accurate.

Monitor Your Credit Report and FICO® Score for Free

Experian's free membership includes your credit report and a FICO® Score 8 based on your report. You'll also receive ongoing credit monitoring, which can inform you about important changes in your credit, and personalized suggestions for how to improve your score.

How Good Is Your Credit Score?

Examples: 600, 700, 780, 803
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